Glancing down, she turned in a slow circle to find they were on a farm of all places and a little house set off in the distance was glowing with life.
Daemon pulled them in the opposite direction and as they walked, she watched as he pulled out a cloth bag and began to tear it into strips.
He passed out the strips and she followed his example, tying it around her forehead and he smiled.
"A basilisk can kill with a look, so you aren't allowed to look at it. We will cover our eyes when we get to it and hopefully he will be willing to help."
The others were quick to follow suit and they all looked a little stupid with their headbands, but they weren't keen on death.
They had reached the edge of the farm when they heard a soft mumbled singing and Daemon made a gesture. Their blindfolds came down and a warm hand grasped hers, pulling her along towards the singing.
It was off key, growling and confused but there was no denying it was song though it cut off when they approached.
"Who's there?" the voice demanded, and she felt it must belong to a young man going through puberty.
"Basilisk, we come to ask for your blessing," Daemon called out as they came to a stop, listening as footsteps followed by an entirely different dragging sound than they had known with the bogeyman.
"My blessing? The basilisk asked and she shivered as she felt a breath against her back, the basilisk circling them and examining them all in turn.
"Yes, we come to beg for a trace of your magic."
And so it began, the demon telling their story, and she felt the presence of the basilisk before her, his eyes boring into her.
She remained still, her chin lifted slightly, and she froze as she felt the brush of a feather against her cheek.
Immediately she clamped her eyes shut and the blindfold was flicked off, leaving her terribly exposed.
"Won't you look at me, pretty creature?" he cooed, and she shook her head, squeezing the hand as it made to let go of her, warning him not to react.
"Won't you give me your magic?" she countered, and the basilisk laughed, the sound more like a crow than anything.
He took her hands and jerked her fingers free of Uzo's and he lifted them to his face, tracing over the oddest face she had ever felt.
He was humanoid at the face, reptilian with scales and instead of hair he had long feathers.
His eyes were covered, and she frowned, her eyes snapping open at the feeling.
They were indeed covered, and she looked up at him, his skin a deep brown.
He had a snake-like cast to him, his legs ending in chicken feet with a long, snake tail and large avian wings.
She stared at him in fascination and was left wondering how so many of these creatures had come to obtain humanoid forms.
Deciding not to ask him, she instead traced along his sharp face, and he seemed to relax under her touch.
He smiled, his head tilted down towards her, and he bowed his head to hers.
His lips were burning hot and dry as he cupped her face to find her. He lingered far longer than he needed and she was forced to draw back from him, his grin wicked.
The silence seemed to be making the others distinctly nervous, and she glanced at them and the odd sight they made, standing in a row with their eyes covered.
She looked back up at him and to her utter horror, he had removed the blindfold over his eyes.
His were an unusual golden colour, the iris slitted like a snake and she was certain she was about to be struck down.
Instead, he only studied her, just as she studied him warily. His flash of a grin was wide, and he bent down until his eyes were a mere inch from hers, staring into them as though daring her to die.
She didn't, and she gave him a wicked smile in return.
His brows lifted and he laughed, making the others jump.
"Strange little creature you are," he cooed.
"That's funny, coming from a basilisk," she countered, her eyes dragging down over the odd mixture of creatures that he was.
He smirked and when he reached for her, she danced back from him.
"Come here, it's not often I get to be near a female who can look at me," he said, and she shook her head.
"You'll have to find another playmate," she said, his smile fading slightly.
"Another?" he asked, wondering.
"Another basilisk, I suppose. There are females of your kind," she responded and when he reached for her again, she jumped back. "Stop that, keep your hands to yourself."
He frowned at her, frustrated and his eyes narrowed, the others struggling with their helplessness.
"I have never seen another basilisk," he said moodily, and he snagged her when he lunged again.
Caught, she huffed as he pulled her against his chest, his fingers going under her chin and tilting her head back. His mouth came down on hers again, and she squirmed, this time there was no magic and his kiss was burning, rough and disturbingly possessive.
In retaliation, she bit his lower lip, and he yelped, jerking back and causing his lip to tear.
He glared down at her. "Why did you bite me?" he demanded.
"I did not give you permission to kiss me again," she snapped, and he looked a little surprised.
"So?" he asked, his arm tightening around her.
"You must have permission," she said, feeling like she was trying to teach a child.
"Why?" he demanded. "Why can't I just do what I want?"
Her brows lifted and she tilted her head at him, unsure if he was messing with her or if he really was that clueless.
"Why can't I just kill you?"
"Because I don't want you too," he countered, and she smiled.
"Why can't I just do what I want?" she repeated back at him and his eyes narrowed.
"Touché, little creature," he said and let her go, allowing her to step back from him.
He looked irritated by her rejection, but he was polite enough to not try and force the issue a second time.
She watched as he covered his eyes again and stood with his arms crossed, sulking.
She laughed at his moodiness.
"If I see a female, I'll send her your way," she said, and he seemed to perk up a little. He wasn't as young as she had originally assumed.
He gave her a wicked smile and as he turned away from her and moved away, his form shrank until he was nothing more than a snake tailed rooster, strutting off towards the henhouse.
"Let's go," she demanded of the demon, and he nodded, his jaw set as he pulled them through the tear and into a plane with a small stream and large number of trees.
Ripping off the blindfold, he turned on her and raked his eyes down her, searching her for signs of injury.
She wiped a trace of blood from her lips, and he seemed relived, grabbing her and pulling her into a hard hug she wasn't expecting.
She hugged him back, understanding his fear and frustration. He hadn't been able to do much to protect her and she knew that impotence well.
Deciding they would take a day off to plan out the next few steps of their journey, they set up camp and it was decided that Daemon would go in search of Loki.
He had vanished through the tear and headed to Faerie to ask around for the God, leaving them alone and returning several hours later with a frustrated growl.